Congress State President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused Mamata Banerjee on Monday of ‘stabbing India in the back’ by attempting to win even a small panchayat samiti like Raninagar 2 in Murshidabad district, where the Congress had a wafer-thin majority, using violence, threats, and the assistance of the State police. He alleged, ‘Mamata Banerjee is publicly showing her support for the Indian bloc, while simultaneously trying her best to ensure that the Congress is decimated in Bengal.’
The Congress approached the Calcutta High Court, pointing out how its supporters were being tortured, arrested, and coerced by the police to join the Trinamool Congress.
Following the submission, Justice Amrita Sinha stayed the process of forming the panchayat board. If any decision has already been made regarding the formation of the standing board of the panchayat samiti, it will not be effective, the court ruled. Further decisions to form a permanent association can be made on the court’s direction, it ordered.
The Congress alleged that the ruling party was targeting the Opposition in the State and alleged before the court that the president of the panchayat samiti was taken into custody in a false case. The panchayat samiti head, while in the custody of the police, told mediapersons that the police officers were forcing him to join the Trinamool Congress.
A FIR has been lodged against six Congress members and they are on the run to avoid arrest, the Congress Party’s legal counsel told the Court. The Congress told the court that those members want to participate in the polls. The total number of members of the permanent association is 42. In this panchayat, the Congress was in the majority but later a few members joined the Trinamool, reportedly under duress.
After winning the Raninagar Panchayat Samiti last Friday, the Left and the Congress called for a victory rally. Allegedly, the Congress workers faced obstacles on their way to attend the rally. The Congress leaders alleged that the Trinamool workers also prevented their workers-supporters from going to the rally together with the police.